Top 10 list of Superman mentions in pop music

Randy Lewis, who has written about music for the Los Angeles Times since the 1980s, has a truly heroic music collection. Here's his thoughts on Superman taking flight in pop music through the years. 

When it comes to superheroes making their way into popular music, it's hard to beat Superman. Here's a list of my Top 10 favorite instances of the Man of Steel in pop tunes.

10. “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim,” Jim Croce (1971): “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape/You don’t spit into the wind.” Timeless advice.

9. “Kryptonite,” 3 Doors Down (2000): The Mississippi rock band is more interested in the super guy’s fatal flaws than his mission to protect truth, justice and the American way (seen above).

8. “Superman Lover,” Johnny "Guitar" Watson (1976): The R&B-funk-rap set often fantasizes about super powers in the boudoir, other examples including Mario’s hyper-romantic “Kryptonite” to Eminem’s outrageously self-aggrandizing and vindictive “Superman.”

7. “So Long, Superman,” Firewater (1998): A catchy pop-punk ditty anticipating Lois Lane’s Pulitzer prize-winning commentary (in “Superman Returns”) about a world with no need for the favorite son of Krypton.

6. “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” Five For Fighting (2001): The emo crowd just can’t get with the notion of invincibility, does it?

Check out the Top 5 after the jump...

5. “Superman,” the Game (2008): The Compton rapper’s new track is a hilarious send-up of hip-hop breast-beating: “It’s a bird, it’s a plane/Naw [expletive], it’s the [expletive] Game.” Er, it IS a send-up, right?

4. “O Superman (For Massenet),” Laurie Anderson (1981): Performance art and minimalist music made it briefly into the mainstream when Anderson turned to the caped one for her hypnotic meditation on modern life. (We originally wrote that the song came out in 1982. We've since changed to 1981.)

3. “Sunshine Superman,” Donovan (1966):  The Scottish Bob Dylan paid his respects to the son of Jor-El at a time when substance experimentation made anyone feel like he could fly.

2. “Superman,” R.E.M.  (1986): Mike Mills (taking the lead vocal duties of Michael Stipe for a change) sounds a bit of a braggart, a bit of a stalker, and a lot like Clark Kent in this jangling plea to the objet d’amour who’s just beyond his reach. The song is a cover of the 1969 song by the Texas band called The Clique.

1. “(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman,” The Kinks (1979): Once again, the Kinks’ erudite Ray Davies takes the Everyman’s viewpoint in this disco-rocker sung by a scrawny wimp yearning to be more like the Man of Steel.

For more on Superman in music, check out the Soundboard blog.

--Randy Lewis

UPDATE An earlier version of this post implied that Michael Stipe sang lead vocals on "Superman," it was actually Mike Mills with Stipe lending back-up. This post also now adds the tidbit that the original version of that song was by The Clique.

Comments

[Jordan]

Why no love for the Crash Test Dummies???

Sometimes when Supe was stopping crimes/
I'll bet that he was tempted to just quit and turn his back/
On man, join Tarzan in the forest/
But he stayed in the city, and kept on changing clothes/
In dirty old phonebooths till his work was through/
And nothing to do but go on home

[Jeremiah]

What happened to Eminem's song, "Superman"? That seems like a pretty explicit reference, one that worked well in this song.

[Matthew]

How about Our Lady Peace- Superman's Dead

[Steve Younis]

I've compiled a list of close to 400 songs where Superman/Clark Kent is mentioned at www.SupermanHomepage.com

[The Dark Bob]

My humble contribution to this important matter regarding Superman in song.

"THE ORIGINAL UNIVERSE"
hopefully the link below will connect you to a "sample" of the song.

http://www.darkbob.com/grow/8original.html

The chorus is:

Wonder Woman you make me wonder
Superman your'e not gettin; any younger
but you've allways come thru
and you've always been true

And for you true blue fanboys and girls...just about every line in the song is a comicbook reference! From the opening line of "In this House of Mystery". House of Mystery is a Silver Age DC title. Now you figure out the rest!!
hope it's fun for some of you.

The Dark Bob

[Ali D]

Flaming Lips - Waiting For Superman, is a beautiful song.

[Mike (not Mike Mills)]

Just a note to say that Michael Stipe didn't sing "Superman." Rather, it was sung by bassist Mike Mills... although Michael did provide some background/harmonies.

[Scott H Florance]

0 Comments
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0 Comments
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0 Comments
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